Container closure



Patented `lune 10, 1941 CONTAINER oLosUnE Victor H. Severy, La Grange, Ill., assignor to Wilson & Bennett Manufacturing Company, Chicago, Ill., a corporation of Illinois Application January 26, 1938, Serial No/186,960

2 Claims.

This invention pertains to metallicl containers of the full open head Ytype having covers with projecting anges -and` closing rings for fastening the covers in position. VThese containers are usually providedwith gaskets to `be inserted between the container bead and the ange of the cover. When the containers are'shipped from the manufacturers to theusers it is desirable to have the covers mounted on the containers in order to keep the containers clean andto hold the parts together but it is not desirable to have the covers tightly closed as this tends to unduly compress the gaskets. This compression is apt to deform the gaskets or to put them in unsuitable condition for use when the containers have been lled and the covers more permanently applied. When they are finally applied after filling it is of course necessary to tightly close' the covers and to compress the gaskets in order to prevent leakage. While it is desirable to have two different closing positions for the ring, it is also desirable to provide means whereby the closing mechanism, after it has been closed to the iirst or partiallyclosed position, will be autoo matically placed in condition so that at the next closing operation the ring will be tightly closed lfilled and the cover is to beapplied as for storage lor shipping.

Accordingly'the` objects of this invention Aare to provide an improved closure for containers closing ring and means for automatically shifting the closing mechanism to insure the proper closure at different times. Y

Other objects and advantages will appear more fully from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which Fig. 1 is a plan view of a portion of a container, such as a pail, barrel, or the like, showing my improved closure with the locking ring in lirst or partial closing position;

Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the position of the parts when the closing lever is swung to open the ring to permit it to be raised over the bead and flange of the cover to remove the cover;

Fig. 3 is a similar view showing the final or tight closing position;

Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken on the line 4--4 of Fig. 1; and

having a plurality of closing positions for the` Fig. 5 is a sectional view taken of Fig. 3.

The container 6 is shown with the usual bead or curl 'I at the top. The cover 8 ts in the top of the container in the usual manner and has a flange 9 that extends vout over the bead. A gasket I0 of any suitable material is interposed between the beady and flange. A contractible split closing ring II engages with the flange and bead as shown in Fig. 5, so thatv when the ring is contracted it will force the ange toward the bead and make a tight closure with the gasket, all of this being in accordance with more or less on the une 5-5 common constructions `now in use.

In order to `open and close the ring II one end is provided with a lug or projection I2 which may be secured thereto in any desired manner, as by'welding. This projection extends circumferentially beyond the end of the ring and has ,a' downwardly bentl portion I3 having an outer Vedge I4 that is adapted to engage with the side wall'orrimofthe cover during the closing operation.; Y j

A closing lever I5 is pivoted at I6 to the outer end of the projection I2 and has a long handle portion I'I which-is preferably curved to conform to thel curvature of the ring and which may be held. in closed position by a catch I8 fastened to the ring II-. The outer or short end of the lever I5 is provided with a somewhat peculiarly shaped `combined pivot and catch member I9 Ywhich is spaced a short distance from the pivot I6. Thevlower end of the pivot I9 engages with a substantiallyv U-shaped slot 20 in a lug or projection 2I extending inwardly from the opposite end of the ringV II andv which may be formed integrally therewith -or secured thereto in any well known manner. VThe ends of `the slot 2D provide two notches 22 and 23 which serve to dene or locate the different closing positions of the ring. The inner end of the pivot I9 is provided with a washer 24 and the pivot is riveted or headed over the washer as shown at 25 to hold or guide these parts during the closing operation. The lug or projection 2| extends inwardly and overlies a portion of the projection I2 when in closed 'position as shown in Fig. 1 and this lug is also preferably provided with a stop or detent 26 which is engaged by the closing lever I5 to stop or limit the outward movement thereof, when the ring is opened.

The opposite or upper end of the pivot I9 has a flange or washer 2'I which ts against the upper surface of the lever I5 to hold the pivot against longitudinal movement and has an extension 28 with a rounded head 2S and an annular groove 3B. The rounded head 29 ts in a recess 3| formed in the lower surface of a resilient or yielding plate or bearing member 32 which is fastened at 33 to the ring and which extends inwardly and over the short end of the closing lever and positioned closely thereto as best shown in Fig. 5. The recess or depression 3| is substantially hemispherical at one end so that the button or rounded head 29 will t freely therein when the ring is closed to its rst or partly closed position. The recess however is of somewhat arcuate form and is tapered or gradually disappears toward its opposite or outer end. The plate or bearing member 32 also has a hole 34 for receiving the grooved end of the pivot I9 as shown in Fig. 5. The hole 34 is sufficiently large so that the head 29 will pass therethrough and the edge of the hole will engage with the groove 30 in order to make a bearing for the pivot and tending to hold the same in engagement with the hole.

When the ring is to be closed to first or partly open position as shown in Fig. l, the plate or catch 32 is raised to free the hea-d 2'9 of the pivot |9 so that the pivot .is free to move into the notch 23 when the lever is swung to closing position. This is the closing posi-tion intended .to be used when the containers are shipped from .the factory and the ring will hold the cover and gasket on the container without unduly compressing the gasket.

When the user receives the containers and is about to fill the same, the closing lever I is swung to full opening position as shown in Fig. 2. During this swinging movement the pivot I5 passes out of the notch 23 and moves around in the U-shaped groove into the notch `22. During this movement the head 28 passes out of the recess 3| and gradually raises the resilient catch 32 so that when the head enters the hole 34 the catch or plate 32 will spring down to engaging position over the head as shown in Fig. 5, so that the pivot will be automatically locked in the notch 22. It will be noted that the parts are so proportioned, as indicated in Fig. 2, that the lever |5 must be swung to substantially full open position or so that the pivot I9 engages with the second notch before the ring can be raised out of engagement with the bead and cover of thev pail, thus insuring the full automatic adjustment of the pivot from one notch to the other. When the pivot is held in engagement with the second notch 22 the parts are in proper position for the final or complete closing of the ring as shown in Fig. 3, which is done in the usual manner. 'I'he pivot being thus held in position in the second notch will avoid any possibility o-f improperly closing the ring as might be done by careless workmen yif no means were provided for positively shifting the pivot from one notch to another and holding it in such adjusted position. Of course if it is desired to again partly close the ring as in the first position, the loperator may raise the plate or catch 32 .and release the head of the pivot and shift it back to the rst notch or to its original closing position. This however will require the intentional change or adjustment by the operator and will not be inadvertently made.

I believe that it is broadly new to provide closing devices of the kind set forth with means for automatically shifting a notch engaging or adjustment device from one position to another or to provide means for locking such pivot or notch engaging member in different positions and therefore I desire to cover `such construction or mechanism as broadly las possible Without limitation to the specific form thereof shown and described herein.

Having thus described a preferred embodiment of my invention, what I claim is:

1. The combination with a split closing ring for containers, of a lug secured to one end of the ring, a closing lever pivoted to the lug and having a handle portion, a pivot carried by the opposite end of the lever, a lug extending inwardly from the opposite end of the ring and having a U shaped slot providing two notches positioned at different distances from the end of the ring for receiving and positioning the pivot for different closing positions, and a spring plate secured to the end of the ring and projecting over the pivot and having a recess and a hole which coact with the pivot as the pivot is moved about in its U- shaped slot'l to pass from one notch to the other, said recess tending to releasably hold the pivot in one position and the hole holding the pivot securely in another position 2. The combination with a closing ring of the character set forth, of a lever having pivotal connection with Vone end of the ring and having a pivot at its shorter end, a projection extending from the other end of the ring having a U-shaped slot which is engaged by said pivot, said slot being positioned so that the ends thereof are Iat different distances from the end of the ring, said pivot .also having an upwardly extending bearing portion, and a resilient cat-ch `secured to the ring and adapted to engage with said bearing portion, said catch having a recess for receivingfthe belaring portion when the ring is closed to partially closed position, and a hole for receiving the bearing portion and holding itin .such position when the lever isY moved to bring the ring to its completely closed position.

VICTOR H. SEVERY. 

